Hi, and thanks for checking in. I’m Wayne Martin, author, travel writer, and all-round word geek. Most of my writing has happened alongside my main career as a consulting engineer but I now write full-time.
Having had a corporate history, a historical true crime book and dozens of travel articles published in various magazines and newspapers, I’m keen to offer my skills to the wider world.
If you need something written well, be it a family or corporate history, some engaging marketing copy, or a destination article, I’d love to help.
No matter your subject I will breathe life into your story. And I will always:
- Treat you with respect and professionalism.
- Be positive and friendly.
- Keep my promises.
- Respond quickly to your queries.
- Deliver a product you will be proud of.
For more background, please check out the About Me page.
If you’d like to know more or discuss a project obligation-free, please contact me as below:
Samples
Check out a few selected samples of my published work here.
Reviews
Below is a selection of links and quotes from reviews of Murder on the Maungatapu:
- Radio New Zealand, Harry Broad, 01 August 2016, “Wayne Martin has done a fantastic job. He’s got a wealth of detail but it doesn’t swamp the storytelling.” See link to full review here
- The Spinoff, 02 Feb 2017: “Ian Fraser on a new, brilliantly told account of the famous 1862 [sic] killings on a remote track between Nelson and Marlborough…It’s hard to imagine anyone telling the story of colonial psychopath Richard Burgess (1829-66) better than Wayne Martin in this gripping and vivid history.” Review is at this link
- NZ Listener, 13-19 Aug 2016: “engrossing … a well-paced forensic account of the case that gripped the small mid-19th century community of Nelson … he also gives insight into the background, motivation and personalities of the accused. A vivid and highly readable investigation.”
- Latitude Magazine, Aug/Sep 2016: “The author has meticulously researched this subject and has created an engaging narrative of this passage of our history.
- Professor Geoffrey Rice, speaking at the book launch: “I literally could not put this book down … I read the whole thing in a day! … For those that have read [Booker Prize winner] The Luminaries, Murder on the Maungatapu deals with similar subject matter, but is a much easier read.”
Interviews
In promoting Murder on the Maungatapu I gave several radio interviews. Check out a couple at the links below.
I also gave several public talks and book signings, including at Scorpio Books Christchurch Central and Riccarton, Nelson Museum, Page & Blackmore Booksellers Nelson, Hokitika Regent Theatre as part of their heritage week, and a reading at the NZ Heritage Book Awards.
Recognition
Some prizes, grants and mentions I’ve collected along the way:
Murder on the Maungatapu was shortlisted for the NZ Heritage Book Awards in 2016
Following the publication of the Maungatapu book, my publisher, Canterbury University Press wrote a generous letter that included the following: “I have thoroughly enjoyed working with you on this project; it has been a smooth and enjoyable process, largely due to your wonderful efficiency and organisational skills.”
In 2009 I won the South Island Writers’ Association Suffragette Cup for a short memoir
In 2023 my short story The House on Jeden Street was placed third equal in the Queenstown Writers’ Festival 48-hour writing competition. The story can be read at this link: The House on Jeden Street
In 2023 I was awarded the Under Rough Ridge Writers’ Trust writer’s residency in Oturehua to work on a current non-fiction book.
My 2009 NZ Today travel article A Land Apart about Quail Island in Lyttelton Harbour, was selected for their ‘Best of’ anthology published the following year.